tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65222962018-03-06T03:55:39.515-05:00The Grace Driven Life...Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-4345394930494345852009-01-18T08:19:00.003-05:002009-01-18T08:40:28.708-05:00Stethoscope<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bYI_aOyCn9Y&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bYI_aOyCn9Y&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
From <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/stephengryder">"stephengryder"</a>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-26838394655649228082008-12-02T08:09:00.007-05:002008-12-04T11:58:51.423-05:00Forgetfulness<a href="http://truefaced.com/blog/?p=83" target="blank">Toben</a> was talking about this, and his thoughts stirred mine:
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It’s been on my mind lately that I need to go back to the mirror frequently, or I forget who I am. <br><br>
And I’m amazed at how quickly I forget! You’d think after all this incredible outpouring of grace I’d get it- I’d be able to stand and walk and perform on my own!
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Oops…
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I apparently have a problem with both short <i>and</i> long-term memory. So, I go back to the mirror again. Sometimes it’s scripture, but not always. Because my vision is sometimes distorted, what I think I see in scripture condemns me. Because I don’t always read through the lenses of grace.
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So sometimes I go to a mirror put up by one of the many faithful teachers of grace that I’ve found. But I need to find <i>something</i> that will show me, again, the truth about Christ in me and me in Christ. And then I can rest again, and let Him work. Until the next time I forget…
<br><br>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-36847467899339466812008-11-30T08:11:00.006-05:002009-01-26T11:35:37.428-05:00Quotes..."...people initially like the idea of authenticity, honesty, openness, freedom, creativity. What they don’t see is the grueling commitment it takes to get there."
<a href="http://nakedpastor.com/" target="blank"><em>The Naked Pastor</em></a> interviewed on <a href="http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/david-hayward-the-naked-pastor-the-im-interview" target="blank"><em>Internet Monk</em></a><br><br>
Edit, 1/26/09- Wow. In less than two months I'm reminded of the truth of that statement. Grueling commitment is the truth. It's much easier to deny authenticity, honesty, and openess.Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-44567798887849089252008-11-20T15:13:00.005-05:002008-11-23T18:32:36.736-05:00Who I am-I was recently asked to describe my true nature- this is what God gave me: <br><br>
In my flesh: <br><br>
"Ultimately, I am on my own- whatever life I am to have, I have to make; whatever relationships I am to enjoy, are my responsibility to cultivate and maintain. Whatever happens is ultimately my responsibility, and whatever goes wrong is, of course, my fault. <br><br>
In the Spirit: <br><br>
"My life is from Grace to Grace. Before the foundations of time God designed me and ordained my life. He ordered my steps and my days from before the beginning. He called me to salvation with an irresistible call, He placed His Spirit in me, and by His Grace He directs my life, now, and for the rest of my days on earth. And in the end, He will bring me, experientially, into the place where I am now- in Christ, at the right hand of the Father. <br><br>
My life is encompassed and saturated by Grace, from the beginning through eternity. I am complete in Him- the righteousness of Christ is now mine, the character of Christ is now mine, the mind of Christ is now mine, even though I may not yet see the manifestation of all these in my life."<br><br><br>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-16861282611326613392008-08-16T09:59:00.005-05:002008-12-04T12:03:42.154-05:00It's only words...<span style="font-family:arial;">I read an </span><a href="http://blog.christianitytoday.com/giftedforleadership/2008/08/surprised_by_the_old_guard.html" target="blank"><span style="font-family:arial;">article</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> at <i>ChristianityToday.com</i> this week that surprised me. The author’s struggle was with an entirely different subject than mine, but the process she went through really captured my attention. <br>
<br>
</span>
<span style="font-family:arial;">The author, Shayne Moore, describes her upbringing and education in an environment that encouraged her to think for herself, to consider God and His word, and pursue what she found, “amongst a community of 'don’t rock the boaters'-the Old Guard of evangelical tradition”.<br>
<br>
What she found in pursuing God did not fit into the prescription of the “Old Guard”. At times she found herself under condemnation, from herself as well as others, as she continued to pursue what she believed the Spirit was calling her to.
<br><br>
Her description of moving from the paradigm of her childhood and youth, into the one God was drawing her to, really caught me. It was as if someone had dipped a ladle into my mind and drawn out the expression of my struggle.
<br><br>
Shayne says “<span style="color:#c0c0c0;">I read Brian McLaren’s books <i>A New Kind of Christian</i> and <i>The Story We Find Ourselves In</i>. I gobbled them up, along with the ideologies of the Emerging Church movement. <strong><em>Here were people putting words on what my spirit already knew. It explained why I felt like a fish out of water in my own tradition. It explained why now when I stood in a group of people discussing our faith it sounded as if they were speaking a foreign language</em>.</strong> Without knowing it, I had started through that narrow passage that leads from one paradigm to another</span>” (emphasis mine).
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But <i>my</i> struggle, <i>my</i> confusion and perplexity, is due to grace. What the reality of the nature of grace is. What it means in a very real, concrete way in my life.
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Change the authors to Steve McVey, Paul Anderson Walsh, Norman Grubb, and others. Change the movement to that of union life, or one of several other labels. With these changes, her thoughts are my exact thoughts over the last few months.
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I’m struggling. Or perhaps as a group of friends suggested, I’m wrestling. Wrestling with what I thought was the teaching of truth. Wrestling with what God’s Spirit is revealing to my spirit. Fighting to figure out how it works in my life. Struggling, because I know it is true, but it seems to be turning much of my world inside out.
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I came from reading another article recently. My wife, Annie, said I seemed confused. And when she asked me about it, I couldn’t even express what was bothering me. I was confused about what I was confused about! And Annie reminded me that confusion wasn’t from God. And that’s true. But when I’m moving from a place of <i>not truth</i>, to a place of truth, the puzzlement is still there. Not from God, but because of trying to shake off the <i>not truth</i>.
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Shayne goes on to describe “<span style="color:#c0c0c0;">Then this paradigm shift got scary and painful . . . I found myself disoriented and confused by the different voices around me . . . So I did what I had to do. I took a deep breathe and pushed further into that cramped passageway. It hurt, and I’m sure I didn’t make any friends and certainly lost some while I cried, whined, complained, and raged along the way... I lost the respect of people whose opinions I valued. My journey felt so honest and this loss of favor was confusing and hurtful . . . Was this paradigm shift real . . .This patriarchal model of church, life, and marriage was no longer working for me . . . I had changed so much and there was no going back.</span>”
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Shayne’s report indicates she found peace in the end (or at a point- I don’t know that the process ends). I trust God that I will as well. I’m not there now. Much of my life is in turmoil. There are very few places that I can honestly say I find peace at the moment. There are far more voices that conflict with what I hear from God, than those that confirm.
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This is where I am, and my words don’t express even to myself, how much of a struggle this is. In many ways I feel cut off from many of the people that are closest to me. But I am convinced that what God is revealing to me is true. Going back is not an option.<br>
</span>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1166215097241359742006-12-15T15:07:00.000-05:002006-12-15T15:59:50.983-05:00I have become aware in recent weeks that my life is entering a new chapter, of sorts:-While three of our six kids are still living at home, the youngest is now 14(!) and they are definitely in various stages of growing independence. An empty nest is still a few years down the road, but it is something my wife and I are aware may be coming, and we've begun talking about some of the changes that we might like to see take place.<BR>
-With just three kids, the daily stress levels in the house are not too bad, and it appears they are going to have relatively calm seperation processes.<BR>
-My wife is emotionally and spiritually healthy and stable. She has been working full time for three years, and is hoping to continue and retire with 20 years of service. She is involved in several areas of ministry at various levels. She frequently substitute teaches for a Ladies Sunday School class, she is actively involved in a small group, she leads a bible study at work, as well as ministry in a variety of casual relationships.<BR>
-Our combined incomes have put us in the best financial situation we have known as a couple. I have 23 years at my job, and will hit 30, and potential retirement, a few years after we expect the children to be moved out, or nearing the end of college. The concept of retirement, what it means for me, has been on my mind quite a bit.
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For many years it seemed my life was a continuing series of crises. There was frequently one thing after another that had to be dealt with, usually to the exclusion of the everyday. This summer there came a gradual awareness that I am not in that situation any longer. My life has become much more stable (if you don't know me well, you may not understand some of what I'm refering to- trust me, there have been some significant changes), and I am wondering what God's intent is in this.
<BR><BR>
I had some time to consider all this, and what it means to me- what I would like to see. This is a summary of what came to mind-
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As long as I have been aware of a desire to minister, essentially from the time I started consciously walking with God, about age 19, that desire has been toward the Body- to encourage, teach, exhort, build up. I have made various attempts to pursue that goal- involvement with a young adult group, a short time at Moody Bible Inst., involvement with various small groups, an internship at a recovery ministry, and helping establish and lead a recovery ministry- and when I am still, and consider what God has put on my heart, that is still the thing I come back to. Sharing the truths of the full Gospel, and helping my brothers and sisters come to understand and live in the truth of who God has made them to be is one of, if not the, greatest joy in my life.
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I have clearly heard God say "Wait" in the past, and I am not opposed to that possibility (in fact, not hearing that may be more un-nerving). I would love to have some level of training, because I have always struggled with feeling inadequate in a ministry position. And I'm not even sure that using the term 'position' is appropriate, because I don't know that God wants me in a 'position' of any type. I do feel strongly that it is time to start looking to something different, and I know where the desire of my heart directs, in general.
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My wife has encouraged me to go back to school. I have a little over half the credit hours I need for an AA degree, including all but two of my core classes. I need about nine classes to complete the course work, mostly electives. This seems like it might be a good place to start- I don't believe God requires a formal education, but it might lead to more options later on.
<strong></strong>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1114542183835704112005-04-26T14:01:00.000-05:002005-04-26T14:03:03.836-05:00An Interview...What do you mean by “The Grace-Driven Life”?<BR><BR>
<I>“Well, I guess what I mean is, a life that is encompassed and infused by grace. Specifically, God’s grace, what is sometimes referred to as unmerited favor- and that grace is the power, the motivation, the root cause of all that happens in my life. Sometimes, or more likely, <B>most</B> of the time, I’m not even aware that His grace is driving and directing my life, but it’s there anyway- doing work in and around me that maneuvers me into a deeper intimacy with God by continually changing me to make me more like Jesus.”</I><BR><BR>
You sound as if you have nothing to say about the process.<BR><BR>
<I>“I’m not sure I do.<BR><BR>
“I know that’s an area that lots of people disagree on, but what I read in Scripture makes me think that I didn’t have any choice about getting saved, or being God’s child, or however you want to put it, and that I don’t have any choice about becoming conformed to the image of Christ. The Bible tells me that God knew me before I was created, every day of my life and every step I would take. It tells me that God created me to demonstrate His mercy, for His glory, and that the Spirit of God controls me. I am convinced that it is not up to me, and I am not convinced that I have much, if anything, to do with the process.”</I><BR><BR>
So when the Bible says you are supposed to work out your salvation…<BR><BR>
<I>“I don’t believe that has anything to do with accomplishing or maintaining my salvation. I think it has more to do with believing my salvation- learning what God has already done to me and for me and in me- and getting it into my head and heart so that knowing, I can live out the truth of what already is.<BR><BR>
“God has already accomplished my salvation. I don’t see or experience all of it yet- that won’t happen until we are face to face. And God <B>must</B> be responsible for maintaining my salvation- I know myself well enough to know that if I had to maintain some set of standards to stay saved, I wouldn’t have a chance. I know too well what I’m capable of. My only hope, and I believe the Bible says this, is that God will never let me go, will never allow anything to separate me from Him.”</I><BR><BR>
Are you aware that some folks think “The Grace-Driven Life” is some sort of response to Rick Warren’s “The Purpose-Driven Life”?<BR><BR>
<I>“I suppose that’s inevitable, and I actually have to express my appreciation for his book, in that it helped me clarify some of my thinking. And I do think that it’s good and important to know God’s purpose for myself, for my life, but I think that’s just a piece of a bigger truth. Which is to know that Grace alone is the primary motivator of my life, whether I like it, or accept it.<BR><BR>
“I prefer what I’ve learned from sources like John Glenn’s Alpha Series teaching and VCLI- as human beings we each have a need to have purpose in our lives. We were not designed to wander through life aimlessly. And God has provided each of His children a divine purpose- from the Church-wide, such as bringing glory to God, and being conformed to the image of Christ, to the specific details of how these are uniquely worked out in the daily life of each of us.<BR><BR>
“But that purpose, along with needing to know that our lives are important, and needing to know that we have the ability to accomplish the purpose God has given us, is what makes up our personal significance. We need to know that our lives are significant somewhere in this world. That we have importance, and meaning, and adequacy. And the other half of that equation- that we are secure: loved, accepted, and forgiven.<BR><BR>
“I believe our purpose falls into that context. And that our security and significance are only achieved through Grace.”</I><BR><BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1111180555920094742005-03-18T15:50:00.000-05:002005-03-28T13:34:57.426-05:00The Grace Driven Life...is the title of my book. Or will be (and now it's the title of this blog). And no, it's not a direct response to Rick Warren. It's hopefully less of a response to anybody, other than God, and more my perspective, my attempt to put into words what I believe.<BR><BR>
Actually I'm hoping to write a series of entries on what I believe. Because I think I need to get my thoughts in a more concrete form. Right now everything just floats around in my head, some times seriously jumbled. And I think it would be good for me to sort through them and write it all down. <BR><BR>
So, I here by make the public proclamation that I am going to attempt to organize this mess and create some kind of semi-formal structure from it. Ben's systematic theology? That's a scary concept...<BR><BR>
Here are some potential chapter titles-<BR><BR> "Free Will Versus The Kind You Have To Pay For."<BR>
"The Promise Of Eternal Security- Or Why Won't God
Leave Me Alone?"<BR>
"Predestination By Election: How Many Votes Does It Take?" <BR><BR>
I'm open to suggestions if anybody cares to contribute- as long as you keep in mind that the final result has to be what <I>I</I> believe, and may not necessarily be what <I>you</I> believe.<BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1110203659869639272005-03-07T08:49:00.001-05:002008-12-04T12:22:52.668-05:00I was gonna' hold out...<span style="font-family:arial;">a few more days to make it exactly four months, but alas, I couldn't do it. Not that I have anything in particular to say...</span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:arial;">I have figured out a big part of why I've been unhappy with church lately (lately being about nine months). Over the last 15 or 20 years many churches have started adding or changing over to a 'contemporary' style of worship (worship referring primarily to a style of music) in the service. For a lot of people, including myself, this was a fresh perspective that added a lot to their experience of God. And we needed to get away from the 'old' ways of doing things- that were, for me, dry, stale, and sometimes irrelevant.</span> <BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">And that was good, for a time. But, for me, after many years in a service that is primarily 'contemporary', I've come to a place where 'contemporary' is becoming 'same-old'- dry, repetitive, and sometimes irrelevant. And I long for some of the traditions of my childhood. Some of the liturgy, some of the hymns, some of the formal structure. </span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">And I long for something else as well- more creativity, and openness, and variety of expressions of worship. I don't remember the last time I heard a poem used in worship. I don't remember the last time worship was a gathering of individuals sharing their individual expressions of worship as a body.</span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">And I'm not sure how my two longings could come together. They almost sound mutually exclusive. </span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">But there I am. I realized some time back that most of my children are growing up with no exposure to great hymns, that have so much depth both scripturally and musically. That makes me sad, because so many of those hymns are very powerful to me. My children are growing up without learning any of the great creeds- My background is <a href="http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/apostles.htm" target="_blank">The Apostles' Creed</a> - which makes me sad because they don't have this form of basic truths, that I have hidden in my heart, and had opportunity from time to time to draw on.</span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">And of course I miss those things myself. I am not trying to say that my church should be responsible for teaching these things to my children, or that without them my children will have no faith. After all, I have them, and that certainly hasn't made my life free from error. God works as He will, and I am confident that He <em><strong>will</strong>, </em>in my children.</span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">And this is not meant as a criticism of my church. While I don't think I'm alone in some of my discomplacency I do think the majority of the folks in our church are happy and getting what they want/need from the service.</span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">And I don't have a solution in sight. I don't really expect to find what I've described, and I have no desire to start my own church. I could be persuaded to participate in an alternative service <em>in</em> my own church, but that's something else entirely.</span><BR><BR>
<span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial;">A lot of words for not having anything to say. Hmm...</span>
<BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1100870987251572262004-11-19T08:26:00.001-05:002008-12-04T12:24:57.423-05:00Hehehe-Well, I'm goin' to hell- <BR><BR>
I got a <a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/67286934_13594edb1e.jpg?v=0"target="_blank">tattoo</a>...<BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1099103249650347802004-10-29T20:25:00.000-05:002005-03-11T15:21:02.453-05:00Ah-I'm catching up on my reading- let's see, there's an article about the blogger who's a <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/anniesj/331112.html"target="_blank">threat to national security </a>; there's the one about the episcopal/druid priest(ess)-parts <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/143/21.0.html"target="_blank">one</a>, <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/143/31.0.html"target="_blank">two</a>, <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/143/41.0.html"target="_blank">three</a>, and <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/143/51.0.html"target="_blank">four </a>(down the page a bit); and here's some interesting thoughts about whether to <a href="http://bpnews.net/bpcolumn.asp?ID=1594">vote</a> (and <a href="http://www.pfm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=BreakPoint1&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=14040">here</a>) or <a href="http://www.christiancentury.org/feat_05.html">not</a> (also <a href="http://ethicscenter.nd.edu/macintyrevote.shtml">here</a>).<BR><BR>
Personally I'm not convinced that it matters who's president. I honestly don't believe that either Bush or Kerry (or any of those other folks on the ballot) will make a significant difference in the future of this country or the world. Because I believe that western culture is over the hill, morally speaking, and is on an irreversible slide into the abyss. <BR><BR>
Which is not to say that I think we should give up and quit trying to make a difference. I just think that any difference will be made at on a small scale or on a personal, one-to-one level, not on a national or state level.<BR><BR>
So I'm considering exercising my right to <B>not</b> vote. <a href="http://noplatform.blogspot.com/2004/10/why-church-ought-not-give-damn-part-i.html">Jimmy</a> has some interesting thoughts, not about not voting, but about why christians shouldn't care who's in office. As he says, "The church wouldn't give damm if it was good at being the church." <BR><BR>
I wrote most of this last Friday, 10/29. I wasn't ready to post it, but intended to. And in the course of the weekend I talked about what I wrote with a couple of people, and got some flack. Which I expected. <BR><BR>
So for awhile I considered not posting it until after the election. But, this is what I believe. I'm not trying to convince anyone, just stating my opinion. So if you strongly disagree with me, that's ok. With any luck, I won't say anything about politics for a looong time. I'm sick of the whole mess.<BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1098389047151854532004-10-21T14:20:00.000-05:002004-10-21T16:44:00.530-05:00God bless...Have you ever heard a little kid pray, " God bless Mommy and bless Daddy and bless my Sunday School teacher and bless our dog Sparky..."<BR><BR>
I've heard myself, and lots of other people pray for God to bless us, or someone else, and I've come to believe that's a silly prayer. Actually, a prayer prayed in ignorance, and maybe even in sin at times.<BR><BR>
Did you see the movie <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/"target="_blank">"Twister"</a> with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton? Toward the end they're in a small shed as a very large tornado passes over. The special effects of the movie were great; the shed is sucked up from around them and then the wind builds until their bodies are pulled up off the ground- they're barely hanging on to some pipe and it looks like they're going to follow the shed up into the sky.<BR><BR>
Praying for God to bless me is like standing in a tornado, or a hurricane, and asking for wind, or rain- <i>there's already more there than I could possibly imagine or understand- more power, more of His Glory-</i> and I am in the midst of God's blessing every moment of my life!<BR><BR>
God blesses me from the moment of conception until I am in His eternal presence- actually long before my conception- <a href="http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&passage=Psalms+139%3A16&amp;version=NASB"target="_blank">"...In Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." </a><BR><BR>
So why do I ask God to bless me? Because I forget, and because my spiritual vision is so very weak. I don't need to ask God to bless me, I need to ask Him to show me what He's already done, and what He's doing even now. If I knew the fullness of God's blessing on my life I would be overwhelmed, stunned to silence, in awe.<BR><BR>
Paul's prayer in Ephesians says it best: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."<BR><BR>
That hope, those riches, and that power, are here in my life, for my use, now!<BR><BR>
I know you bless me every day Father, every moment I live. Open the eyes of my heart, so I may recognize and join in what You are doing, and give You glory. <BR><BR>
Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1093914476834729152004-08-30T19:04:00.000-05:002004-09-15T19:57:44.023-05:00It's raining here right now...just normal summer afternoon/evening Central Florida thunderstorms. No big deal actually- a lightning strike here, a brief tornado there- just your run-of-the-mill weather. And Florida is generally wonderful; after living through seven winters in Illinois I would be hard pressed to give up the pleasure of a January evening in shorts & shirt sleeves. However...<BR><BR>
As most of you are aware we had a major hurricane pass through just a short time ago. Lots of damage, loss of life. There are areas, the places that were worst hit, that still don't have power back. Not many, and I am not trying to criticize anyone- It's just a fact of life that hurricanes can do amazing amounts of damage. <BR><BR>
And today my family began to take a serious look at Hurricane Frances. It's not supposed to be here until Saturday, but if you looked at the projected path you'd see where it black line crosses the right coast of Florida? That's just a few miles south of me. <BR><BR>
The problem is, as we were reminded with Charlie, that no matter how good the science is (and it's pretty darn good these days), there's still no way to absolutely tell were that great mass of water & heat is going. Charlie was expected to hit the Tampa area. Thousands of people evacuated to Central Florida, Orlando. Charlie decided to jig at the last minute, and Tampa got through with very little trouble. But all those people that went to O-town walked into the path of a major hurricane. <BR><BR>
SO, the problem is deciding what to do. We could leave- close up the house, pack a few things and go, um, ha-ha. Yeah. Well, I've got two kids in Tallahassee. So north & west. That's far enough inland that we should be fairly safe. <BR><BR>
But nobody will know for sure until the last minute. And to me, strictly my personal opinion, that makes the whole thing a crap shoot. If I lived on a barrier island, yes, I'd get the heck off of it and get inland. But I'm about five miles inland, with pretty good drainage. There's always the potential of wind damage. But there's the potential of wind damage almost every evening this time of year.<BR><BR>
As I write this there is a family crisis going on. Another storm, right here, right now. So my priorities are taking a jig, and I'm going a different way than previously forecast. Ciao-<BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1093747846813146622004-08-28T20:32:00.000-05:002004-08-29T13:24:44.620-05:00It's all about the money...Or so it appears. Google says they're going to pay me to put a <a href="http://www.google.com/services/adsense_tour/" target="_blank">search bar & some ads</a> on my blog. Could I get rich off of this drivel?
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In far more important news- a new ministry of <a href="http://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/web/main/index.html" target="_blank">Faith Fellowship Church</a> is getting ready to go. And the website is up &amp; running as of this evening. The web content is still a bit thin, & there's lots of polishing to do, but <a href="http://www.ffbodybuilders.com/" target="_blank">Body Builders</a> now exists in cyberspace.
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A bunch of us have been preparing for this for quite awhile. Ministry of this type has been on my heart for 12+ years, with lots of stops &amp; starts along the way. There was a time, 9 or 10 years ago, when I wanted to got into a ministry training program in south Florida. There's not much I've ever wanted more in my life than I wanted that. And God very clearly & very definitely said, "<strong>NO</strong>."
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Which really hurt. I mean, God's supposed to put His desires in my heart, to become mine, right(I'm not interested in arguing theology with anybody today, so don't waste your time)? And what could possibly be wrong with wanting to help people that are hurting?
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Well, timing for one thing. Turns out God's timetable did not coincide with mine. The next several years were...interesting. And if you know me &amp; mine, you understand. So when a good friend asked about a year ago if I would pray about being involved in this, I wasn't interested. The years between "I want this more than anything," and the present, left me with no desire to minister to anybody, no confidence that I could, and unconvinced that I had anything to offer.
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Basically, I agreed to pray only out of respect for my friend. And it took some time to get to the point where I thought it was a possibility, and some more time to begin to get excited about the idea. And now, with our Sept. 21st kick-off date fast approaching, I'm feeling unprepared, & ill-equipped, but willing. And I suspect that's the important part.
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Fortunately we are not going in as teachers, but simply facilitators. As <a href="http://faithgambler.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Reid</a> says- I'm just trying to tell another hungry person where to find bread.
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One of the things that has really scared me, and still concerns me, is what kind and how much of a commitment I'm supposed to make to someone. Don't misunderstand- I know very well that I can't fix a person. That's God's domain, entirely. But, well, let me try to explain it this way- I once heard a person, a leader of a support ministry, say "We will walk with you through this, whatever it takes." But they didn't. They maybe went as far as they could handle, &amp; maybe as far as God meant them to go. But in saying they would stay, whatever it takes, & then not doing so, they wounded someone, pretty significantly.
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I suppose the lesson from that is to be sure I only commit to what God wants- there are times when you have to let people go- but that was a tough way to learn.
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But enough for tonight. I've been in front of this keyboard for about 7 hours today, &amp; it's past my bedtime. So goodnight one & all, &amp; I'll let you know when, if, the google bucks start rolling in- Hmm...
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(By the way- if you read this and wondered why it's all one big block- if it still is- apparently blogger is messing with my formatting again. Don't know what the deal is, I usually write in paragraphs...and the search bar appears to have magically appeared at the top of the page...where's my MONEY?)
Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1092440779084533442004-08-13T18:46:00.000-05:002004-08-13T19:49:48.213-05:00And now for something completely different...<span style="font-family:arial;">I'm trying to figure out picasa & hello, the software blogger is pushing for posting pics on blogger (google will soon rule the world). And I wanted to show how I played with some pictures in PaintShopPro. I enjoy doing but it's a lot of work sometimes. </span><a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> <- That little icon shows up when I post the pictures, which I do from my computer. Now I like the ease of doing this, & I don't have to upload to picturebucket or wherever and then link into my blog. But I don't have as much control over size (I think). And sometimes I want the first sight of a pic to be BIG- for the impact. And I'm not sure why I only seem to be using the left side of the page...and I'm not sure I want to put in the time &amp; energy to figure it all out. </span>
<p><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's the thing, see- there's a lot of things I like to do, and a lot of things I want to try. And then there's a lot of things I need to do, to support the things I want to do. Like work. And then there's all the stuff that goes with being a productive & acceptable member of society- not even gonna' get into that list, although that's what's really been on my mind lately. I'm learning (or trying to learn, or being taught, or whatever your particular theological spin prefers) to live my life for God rather than for what I think everybody arounds me wants. Sounds pretty basic, but it's not so for me. For instance, that's why I haven't written anything here for so long. I got to a point where I felt like I had to write something, but either didn't have the time or the inclination to do so. Then I felt like I had to do something, and the worse that got the more I resented the whole thing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Now I know that's all kind of absurd, but it's my life &amp; there's a lot of absurdity here. Sooo- I'm not saying I will and I'm not saying I won't- but I'm not walking away from this yet. And if you're still here, go look at the rest of the pictures- that's what this was supposed to be about, anyway. (Edited just a bit- I think I rambled but I don't care. Why in the world would anybody read this mess anyway? This post brought to you by <a href="http://www.bluegrasscountry.org/">bluegrasscountry.org</a>. Bet you didn't know I like bluegrass, huh? My daughter bought me the sound track to O Brother Where Art Thou? Good stuff...) (Oh yeah- if you click on the pics you'll get a bigger version-who's storing these things anyway?)(Oh, and...aww never mind!)</p></span>
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/193/1484/1024/BuzzSunset2.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/193/1484/400/BuzzSunset2.jpg" border="0" /></a>
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Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1092440498238979782004-08-13T18:41:00.000-05:002004-08-13T19:51:40.550-05:00<span style="font-family:arial;">This is my first revision- I actually put these in reverse order of what I wanted, & right now you're reading my thoughts in reverse order 'cause I'm editing them backwards. Don't be confused though; I'll do that for all of us.</span><BR>
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/193/1484/1024/BuzzSunset.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/193/1484/400/BuzzSunset.jpg" border="0" /></a><BR>
Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1092440384307153722004-08-13T18:39:00.000-05:002004-08-13T19:52:13.883-05:00<span style="font-family:arial;">This is the original- </span><a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> I took out streetlights, power lines, & a sign, &amp; cropped the parking lot. This is late afternoon- for those of you that know the area, it's taken from the parking lot at Wickham & Aurora, in front of the auto parts store-<BR>
</span><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/193/1484/1024/DSCN4584.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/193/1484/400/DSCN4584.jpg" border="0" /></a>
<BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1092176874222977952004-08-10T17:26:00.000-05:002004-08-10T17:27:54.223-05:00Happy Birthday Jenell-<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/qxzlool/purpleflowers.jpg"><BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1091906288330107812004-08-07T14:12:00.000-05:002004-08-07T14:18:08.330-05:00Savannah Ga, fall of 2003<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/qxzlool/SavannahGaFall2003.jpg"><BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1091748541068420262004-08-05T18:27:00.000-05:002004-08-05T18:29:01.066-05:00Storm moving over the river this afternoon<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/qxzlool/stormoverpier.jpg"><BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1091705354988909182004-08-05T06:27:00.000-05:002004-08-05T06:29:14.986-05:00Sunrise at 7-11<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/qxzlool/SunriseAtSevenEleven.jpg"><BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1091457217366829362004-08-02T09:33:00.000-05:002004-08-02T19:55:52.823-05:00Things change-7:00am, on the way to work...<BR><BR>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/qxzlool/c99405f6.jpg"><BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1089646786567926672004-07-12T10:30:00.000-05:002004-07-12T12:06:26.040-05:00Do you like scary stories?This one is true...
Writing for the liberal magazine The American Prospect, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich calls for a war against conservative religious believers. "The great conflict of the 21st century will not be between the West and terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic, not a belief," he writes.
"The true battle will be between modern civilization and anti-modernists; between those who believe in the primacy of the individual and <I>those who believe that human beings owe their allegiance and identity to a higher authority</I>; between those who give priority to life in this world and <I>those who believe that human life is mere preparation for an existence beyond life</I>; between those who believe in science, reason, and logic and <I>those who believe that truth is revealed through Scripture and religious dogma</I>. Terrorism will disrupt and destroy lives. But <U>terrorism itself is not the greatest danger we face</U>."(emphases added)
If you want to read the <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/127/51.0.html"target="_blank">rest of the article-</a> it actually gets scarier...<BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1089638956765306642004-07-12T08:25:00.000-05:002004-07-12T12:07:05.576-05:00This isn't news to me...but I'm glad somebody wrote it down- <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,64088,00.html"target="_blank">Bloggers Suffer Burnout</a><BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522296.post-1084453721651641322004-05-13T07:49:00.000-05:002004-05-13T08:08:41.650-05:00Good morning-And it's very nice to be able to say that and feel it as well.
I miss my camera- the sunrise was gorgeous this morning and I wanted to share it with ya'll. Haven't heard anything about it yet though.
This is a rough time to be without it. I have three graduations to cover- my youngest daughter from sixth grade, my oldest daughter from high school, and my wife from college! At 41, Annie (my wife) went back to school and is now graduating with an Associate of Science degree in Office Technology Systems. With a 4.0 average! YAY!!
Then last weekend we moved my oldest son out of the house- he's moving about five hours away- to Tallahasee, Florida. Not to school, just time for him to start a life apart from his family. The move had some tough moments, especially for Annie, saying good-bye to her first born on Mother's Day.
And of course we have graduation parties coming up as well- I guess I'm going to have to resort to film-
So Blogger has this new interface...which was my reference to cheese yesterday...and if you've never read <em>Who Moved My Cheese</em>, you still have no idea what I'm talking about. Anyway, I haven't had time to play with it yet. Have to see what it will do.
TTFN-<BR><BR>Ben Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17786395610892278058noreply@blogger.com0